ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · track · present · dip · lean · cold · perch · bass

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cold — not warm
  4. lean — thin
  5. net — for catching
  6. bass — the fish
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. perch — the fish
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. present — a gift
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. bass — low music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com